2388 Birds. 



him for the information to the ' Field Naturalist,' vol. i. pp. 49 — 53, where he will 

 find figures of the bird and nest under the name of the ' arbour bird ' {Philomela po- 

 ly glotta, Bennie). In that article the eggs are described as " the size of a linnet's, of a 

 bright but pale pink, with deep scarlet or crimson spots, rather large, and irregularly 

 scattered over them. A friend who had spent the summer of 1 835 at Montpellier, on 

 his return sent me a specimen of an egg obtained from thence, the ground colour of 

 which is a pale pink or rose colour, with deep brown or chocolate spots, small and ir- 

 regularly sprinkled over the whole surface : the man who supplied him with the eggs 

 stated that " the nest was fixed in a batch of peas, at a little distance from the 

 ground," but did not know to what species they belonged. At a subsequent period 

 my lamented friend, the late J. D. Hoy, Esq., presented me with some specimens 

 identical with the one obtained from Montpellier as the Sylvia hippolais of Temminck : 

 they were obtained by him during one of his bird's-nesting excursions on the Conti- 

 nent, and his principal inducement in sending me the eggs was to prove that the 

 continental species was different from our chiff-chaff, which has since been generally 

 admitted. — J. D. Salmon; Godalming, January 10, 1849. 



Occurrence of the Snovj Bunting (Emberiza nivalis) near Deal. — On November 4th 

 I shot a specimen of this winter visitor, out of a small flock on the beach : about the 

 winter of 1847 I shot another. Both were in the plumage of the tawny bunting, — 

 probably young birds of the year. — J. W. Hulke ; 155, Lower Street, Deal, February, 

 1849. 



Defence of previous Statements about the Sparrow. — I perceive that Mr. Hawley 

 and Mr. Duff are defending the character of the sparrow. Passing over without com- 

 ment all prefatory remarks, I will proceed at once to dissect the more important parts 

 of their communications, commencing with Mr. Hawley's (Zool. 2348). The first ob- 

 servation demanding notice is, " that 3500 sparrows may find subsistence on 3400 

 acres of land, — rather more than one sparrow to the acre." Perfectly true it is that 

 such number may be at the rate of rather more than one sparrow to the acre ; but it 

 does not follow that the destruction which the birds effect falls in an equal proportion 

 on every acre. Two farms lie parallel to each other — one grass, the other arable ; the 

 owner of the former escapes, whilst the loss falls in an increased degree on the owner 

 of the latter. I am next asked, " how the sparrow contrives to get at the corn ? " Let 

 me explain to Mr. Hawley that here oats and barley are not sheaved, but put into 

 stacks loose, and he will readily perceive that the sparrow has not the difficulty he 

 imagines in getting at this kind of corn ; and that although wheat is sheaved, and 

 when stacked the sheaves are so arranged that their corn ends incline inwards, yet the 

 most careful reaper cannot avoid binding many ears in the outer ends, which generally 

 fall a prey to the sparrow. Mr. Hawley again remarks, " during winter, spring, and 

 the early part of summer, I fear that if he had nothing to eat but the grain he could 

 collect from corn-stacks and barn-doors, his numbers would not greatly annoy even 

 Mr. Briggs." This gentleman himself admits " that during some of the summer 

 months the sparrow feasts gloriously" that in autumn he has " found their crops dis- 

 tended with corn," and that in winter, too, he has " shot them near ricks with corn in 

 their crops." It therefore only remains for me to show that corn still is their food in 

 the spring. Now, upon referring again to the entries in my journals, I find that as 

 much, if not more corn, was taken from the crops of those examined during the vernal 

 months than at any other period (luring the year ; but no remains of an insect were visible. 

 During the months of January, February, March, April and May, I must have 



